New Orleans' Catastrophic Solid Waste Problem

So much garbage was left behind by Katrina that if stacked in 1-yard cubes, the waste would wrap around the Earth more than once.

1 minute read

January 5, 2006, 9:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"While a dozen or more landfills have sprouted in Mississippi and Louisiana, federal crews are trying a variety of methods to shrink the garbage pile as much as possible.

One strategy involves recycling everything from downed trees to appliances, an effort complicated by the fact that much of the garbage has been stewing in saltwater."

"...To reduce the volume, the Army Corps of Engineers is using a giant shredding machine, appropriately named the 'Annihilator.' ... the Annihilator is being fed a constant diet of construction waste--basically the remains of houses--to reduce the volume by two-thirds."

Thanks to Ashwani Vasishth

Read the full story: Katrina's garbage rates a Category 5

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 in The Chicago Tribune

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